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Pistachio Muffins

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Prep Time: 10 minutes     Cook Time: 17 minutes

5 from 4 votes

Pistachio muffins are versatile and delicious! Enjoy one of these tasty treats for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert. They're portable enough for picnics or boxed lunches. And trust me, once you taste a pistachio muffin still warm from the oven, you'll be so glad you made them.

A pistachio muffin sliced in half looking at the inside.
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Pistachio instant pudding mix is combined with pantry staples to make these wonderful bites. Common ingredients like oil, eggs, sugar, baking powder, and milk go into the batter, and I expect you already have all of those on hand.

Their pretty domed tops and light green color make these pistachio muffins look bakery perfect although they're surprisingly simple to make yourself in your own kitchen!

They're perfect for any occasion, but their cute green color makes them especially popular around St Patrick's Day. Matcha cookies and matcha brownies are two other festive green desserts.

Main Ingredients

The ingredients used to make pistachio muffins laid out on a table.

These tasty pistachio muffins are well worth the effort, not that they're much effort to begin with! These are some of the key ingredients in them:

  • Pistachio instant pudding mix: The main flavor. Make sure you're using the instant kind, not the regular pudding mix because the ingredients aren't the same. Not only does this give the pistachio muffins a wonderful flavor, but it also gets them a beautiful shade of green. Oh, and it makes the recipe much quicker than it would be if you had to shell a bag of nuts first!
  • Almond extract: For a nutty taste. Feel free to substitute vanilla extract or another kind if you prefer. Try hazelnut extract for a change of pace or a few drops of almond and a few drops of vanilla. Pretty much anything goes, so you can get creative!
  • Vegetable oil: An alternative to butter. You can substitute some (or all) of the oil with melted butter if you prefer. Use vegetable oil or canola oil since either one has a neutral flavor.
  • Milk: To thin the batter. You will find the batter for these muffins to be quite thick, at least thicker than most other cupcake or muffin batters. The batter is also supposed to be a little lumpy, not overmixed. Use any kind of milk here. I used 2% milk.
  • Sugar: For sweetness. Use regular white granulated sugar in the muffins and coarse sugar to sprinkle over them before baking. Coarse sugar adds crunch as well as sweetness, but you can omit the coarse sugar topping if you don't have any.

Instructions Overview

Are you ready to make these pistachio muffins yet?

After preheating the oven and lining the cavities of a muffin tin with paper liners you can combine the oil, sugar, eggs, almond extract, and milk. Whisk the pudding mix with the baking powder and salt in another bowl then add this to the egg mixture.

Pour the batter into the muffin liners getting them about ¾ full. Sprinkle coarse sugar on top and bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the pistachio muffins cool down on a cooling rack and then enjoy!

Muffins with pistachios on a table.

Common Questions

What makes a muffin light and fluffy?

One of the secrets to great muffins is to start with the milk and eggs at room temperature. This makes them easier to combine so you get a smooth batter that will trap air during baking and result in light, fluffy muffins.

Why did my muffins come out dense?

This is usually due to adding too much baking powder. It makes the muffin rise too fast and then collapse back on themselves, giving you a dense texture. The typical ratio is one teaspoon of baking powder to every cup of flour and that's the ratio I use for these pistachio muffins.

Which oil is best for muffins?

I like to use vegetable oil because it has a very mild, neutral flavor which isn't noticeable in the finished muffins. Canola oil is another good option.

An overhead shot of six muffins in a muffin tin.

Chopnotch Tips

  • The best way to get a beautifully domed top is to blast the muffins at 425°F for a few minutes and then turn the heat down for the rest of the cooking time.
  • Using pistachio pudding results in an appealing green color. If you prefer a richer, darker shade, add a few drops of green food coloring as well.
  • If you aren't using paper liners, use non-stick cooking spray to lightly grease the cavities. Also, choose a non-stick pan for this.
  • Add a handful of chopped candied pistachios or shelled pistachios to the batter for a crunchier texture.
Green muffins on a white plate ready to be served.

Pistachio muffins are simple to prepare and don't call for any hard-to-find ingredients. You'll love how light and fluffy these are.

Let us know what you think! Give this recipe a rating in the comments section below.

Recipe

How to Make

Pistachio Muffins

A delightfully simple recipe resulting in muffins that boast so much wonderful flavor.
SCALE THIS RECIPE
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3.4 ounces pistachio instant pudding mix
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • coarse sugar
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Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set it aside.
  • Whisk together the vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, almond extract, and milk in a medium bowl until well combined and fluffy.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, pudding mix, salt, and baking powder until combined. Then add this dry mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. The batter should be a little lumpy.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each muffin cavity ¾ of the way full, and then sprinkle coarse sugar over the top of them.
  • Bake for 6 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake for another 11 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean from the center.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin. Then transfer to a cooling rack to allow them to finish cooling. Serve and enjoy!
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Notes

  • The best way to get a beautifully domed top is to blast the muffins at 425°F for a few minutes and then turn the heat down for the rest of the cooking time.
  • Using pistachio pudding results in an appealing green color. If you prefer a richer, darker shade, add a few drops of green food coloring as well.
  • If you aren't using paper liners, use non-stick cooking spray to lightly grease the cavities. Also, choose a non-stick pan for this.
  • Add a handful of chopped candied pistachios or shelled pistachios to the batter for a crunchier texture.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 195kcal (10%), Carbohydrates: 41g (14%), Protein: 4g (8%), Fat: 2g (3%), Saturated Fat: 1g (6%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 29mg (10%), Sodium: 233mg (10%), Potassium: 128mg (4%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 25g (28%), Vitamin A: 73IU (1%), Calcium: 60mg (6%), Iron: 1mg (6%)
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course:
Dessert
cuisine:
American

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